Our Sherlock Holmes Tea

When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.- Arthur Conan Doyle

We held a Sherlock Holmes Tea, on Tuesday, November 28th at 6 pm. We served Arthur Conan Doyle’s English Breakfast Black Tea by NovelTea. We also hosted a couple of special guest authors including Deanna Foster, author of Fortunes of Madness, B.R. Myers author of A Dreadful Splendour, and Wendy Heyman-Marsaw author of Memoirs From Mrs. Hudson’s Kitchen.

Deanna Foster

B.R (Bethany) Myers

JoAnn Alberstat and Wendy Heyman-Marsaw

Also joining us were JoAnn and Mark Alberstat, both have been editors of Canadian Holmes since 2009, and are part of The Sherlock Holmes Society of Canada. Mark is also a member of The Baker Street Irregulars with the investiture name of “Halifax” and has written for various Sherlockian books and journals. https://www.torontobootmakers.com/canadian-holmes/

JoAnn and Mark Alberstat

Memoirs from Mrs. Hudson’s Kitchen by Wendy Heyman-Marsaw

Mrs. Hudson is possibly the most famous landlady in literature. Residing over 221B Baker Street, she saw many clients, villains and Baker Street Irregulars during the tenancy of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson. This series of columns, thoughts, recipes and memoirs are from a long-running column in the Sherlockian journal Canadian Holmes. Columnist, Wendy Heyman-Marsaw puts herself in Mrs. Hudson’s shoes, up and down the 17 steps, and recounts not only the time and era but the food, dining and eating habits of Victorian England. With many illustrations from the Strand Magazine, readers will get a rare peek inside Victorian life.

A Dreadful Splendor by B.R. Myers

In this spectacularly imaginative and ghoulishly fun Gothic murder mystery brimming with romance, betrayals, and chills, a fake spiritualist is summoned to hold a séance for a bride who died on the eve before her wedding, but as nefarious secrets are revealed, the line between hoax and haunting blurs.

Be careful what you conjure…

In Victorian London, Genevieve Timmons poses as a spiritualist to swindle wealthy mourners–until one misstep lands her in a jail cell awaiting the noose. Then a stranger arrives to make her a peculiar offer. The Lord he serves, Mr. Pemberton, has been inconsolable since the tragic death of his beautiful bride-to-be. If Genevieve can perform a séance persuasive enough to bring the young Lord peace, she will win her freedom.

Soothing a grieving nobleman should be easy for someone of Genevieve’s skill, but when she arrives at the grand Somerset Park estate, Mr. Pemberton is not the heartbroken lover she expected. The surly–yet exceedingly handsome–gentleman is certain that his fiancée was murdered, even though there is no evidence. Only a confession can bring justice now, and Mr. Pemberton decides Genevieve will help him get it. With his knowledge of the household and her talent for illusion, they can stage a haunting so convincing it will coax the killer into the light. However, when frightful incidents befall the manor, Genevieve realizes her tricks aren’t required after all. She may be a fake, but Somerset’s ghost could be all too real…

A Dreadful Splendor is a wickedly whimsical brew of mystery, spooky thrills, and intoxicating romance that makes for an irresistibly fun and page-turning read.

Fortunes of Madness by Deanna Foster

On the cusp of winter, three bodies are discovered at a cathedral, their throats slit. Deliberately placed there by the killer, the crime scene offers little evidence to Detective Fox, who is assigned his first murder case. The only clue is the one the killer wanted found; three tarot cards. Determined to be successful with his first important case, Fox turns to the city’s Mystic Quarter in search of a tarot reader. Unfortunately for him, the most talented reader happens to be Rebecca, the love of his life. Who he hasn’t spoken to in ten years after rejecting her marriage proposal.

Despite her conflicting feelings for Fox, Rebecca lends her expertise with tarot cards to the investigation. She quickly predicts more killings are inevitable. The killer is using a familiar spread, which tips them off to where the next bodies will be found. Yet the killer is moving fast, leaving them one step behind as the body count continues to climb.

It soon becomes obvious that the victims are not random. As Fox and Rebecca purse the killer, from wealthy mansions to asylums, they begin to unravel another series of crimes buried under the city’s web of privilege and power. Crimes that began with Fox’s birth, connecting him to the killer, and putting everyone he loves in danger. With a killer on the loose and more mysteries unraveled at every turn, Fox is not just racing to solve one case, but two, and save the city’s soul in the process.

Sylvia, a very supportive customer and friend of the store, brought Black Licorice Pipes which were a fun addition to the event.